Over the next few days, we prepared for our Pledging Ceremony and Eve and Dannan's wedding. Their wedding had been a few days before our Pledging Ceremony and had been nothing short of an event—the complete opposite of Cruz and Eve's Wedding. But it suited them well. After all, Dannan and Eve were much more flamboyant than Cruz and Bailey. Also, nearly every member of Dannan's pack had arrived for their Wedding, adding to their numbers. But it was a lot of fun.Xander had performed the ceremony, and we had danced into the night. Eve and Dannan looked happy, too. Since they had found each other, both of them seemed to be less grumpy and easier to get along with. And with the trial behind her, Eve was able to concentrate on the wedding and enjoy it. She had surprised me by asking me to be her Maid of Honor, and I had graciously accepted. After what we had been through together, we had continued to grow closer. Even though she was still Eve, she was a better version of herself than she h
"Kalyssa, Mr. Frakes is here with Penelope in Room 2," Maria said over her shoulder as I walked by. She had been the best receptionist that I had ever had. A receptionist at an animal clinic needs to be on her toes, scheduling appointments so they don't overlap, and able to keep things moving. And then there's a matter of scheduling the boarded animals, but that was Macy's department. She prided herself in running a clean ship—and clinic—while keeping things moving, including me. "Thanks, Maria." I looked at Penelope's clipboard as I passed. She was a Miniature Schnauzer, seven years old, and cute as a button. Her owner, Frank, had been badgering me to go out with him ever since he discovered that I was single. Frank Frakes. Who names a child that? Anyway, he's cute, but just not my type.But then again, not many men were. I had never wanted to "play for the other team", so to speak, and men weren't the issue. It was humans in general that I never felt comfortable with. I was never su
On my way home, it was darker outside than normal. No darkness compared to the dark of the desert. But luckily, my eyesight had always been good, and seeing at night had never been a problem. Not even the moon was out, but the stars were gorgeous. Then I remembered hearing that there was going to be a Blood Moon this month, when the moon is in a total lunar eclipse. It has no astrological significance, but they're beautiful… and rare. I made a mental note to set up my telescope to get a better look.Out of curiosity, I looked up at the stars and there was a shooting star. "Oh, my god! That's gorgeous!" Luckily, there was no one else on the road because I couldn't take my eyes off it. I was going to pull over, but I didn't want anyone to hit me in the rear while watching the shooting star, either.Suddenly, something caught my eye to the side, causing my head to snap up when a gray wolf ran out right in front of my car. I swerved to keep from hitting it, but it was too late. The sound o
"Yyyyeeeooooww!" I screamed, practically jumping out of my skin as my heart pounded against my ribcage.He was sprawled out across the futon from end to end, his feet dangling off the side. As startled as I was, I couldn't help but notice that his sculpted back muscles and legs were those of Adonis, and he had a mop of scruffy, light brown wavy hair that suited him well."Holy crap!" I yelled, trying to remember the self-defense classes I had taken in college. I quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife just in case. Hey, just because he looked like a Greek god didn't mean that he wouldn't kill me... or worse.Tiptoeing into the living room, I looked around for the wolf, hoping that this guy hadn't released it back into the wild before it had completely healed. In the condition it was in last night, it wouldn't last a day on its own. "Morning." He sat up and gave me an impish grin. The only thing covering him was the quilt, casually draped across his lap, strategically
A little while later, I found myself rushing to get back to my bungalow to see if the mysterious male-model burglar was still there. I pulled up in the driveway a few minutes later and parked my SUV near the house. Then I thought of hitting the wolf and what Cruz had insinuated before I left. But I know for a fact that I hadn't imagined hitting the wolf. I slowly walked to the front of my car to check the damage, wondering why I hadn't thought to do it earlier. But waking up to a naked man in my living room, asleep on my couch, had thrown me for a loop.Walking slowly toward the front of the car, I looked down and the front grill had been smashed, so it had definitely happened. I sighed, looking around the house to see if there had been tracks. Near the house were bare human tracks that I followed around to the side of the house. But they stopped abruptly, and wolf tracks picked up in their place."No!" I said in disbelief, looking down at the wolf tracks. "There's no way he could hav
When I came out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go, Cruz gasped as he let out a low whistle. "Wow! You clean up pretty good."I smirked. "Thanks. So do you.""Ready?" He raised an eyebrow. "As ready as I'll ever be." I started to grab my little black clutch purse, but Cruz stopped me. "You won't need that," he replied. "It'd probably be something more to keep up with at the bonfire. I want you to just relax and enjoy yourself tonight when we get there.""Okay." I was wearing my Smartwatch so I had cell phone access, just in case I needed it. I had a feeling that Cruz wasn't telling me everything, but I had decided that tonight was my night to do something wild, and I wasn't about to back down now. Besides, how much trouble could you get in to at a bonfire?He offered me his hand, and when we walked outside a new sports car was parked in the driveway. "Wow! Nice car." I smiled, taking it in as I headed to the passenger side. Cruz followed me around the car and opened the door f
The bonfire blazed, casting the party goers into a romantic light. Somehow in this place, the sensual, erotic nature of the party seemed natural. But I didn't expect it when a drop-dead gorgeous man stepped in front of me and placed his hands on my hips and looked into my eyes as he pressed his lips to mine and then parted my lips while grinding his length against my sex, causing moisture to pool between my legs.Then Cruz turned my head, and he brushed his lips across mine and then another pair of hands were on my waist as Cruz's lips and tongue found mine. Then strong hands pulled my chin away, and I was looking into the most gorgeous blue eyes I'd ever seen. He pulled me aggressively toward him and crushed his lips to mine, pressing himself against my sex through the thin fabric of my dress.Another pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist as he kissed down my neck. His hands moved to my breast, pinching my nipple between his fingertips. I thought it was Cruz, but when I looked
Xander fell asleep, and I was nearly asleep, too, when Elias took my hand and motioned with his head for me to come with him. My legs were like jelly when I stood, but he caught me, keeping me from falling. Soon, I found my sea legs and let him lead me from the room."Where are we going?" I asked, my voice low. "I want to take care of you," Elias said, his voice soft. "Please, let me." He led me into the bathroom and one whole wall was the shower. He stood me by the far wall while he fired up the jets. Once they were warm, he took my hand and led me into the walk-in shower.The warm water felt heavenly as it rushed over my body, loosening my stiff muscles. Then he ran shampoo through my hair and gently washed, slow, sensual. Satisfied, he pulled me into the stream of water and rinsed my hair.Then he ran conditioner through my hair as the scent of coconuts wafted toward me. "You keep conditioner here?" I smirked. Elias shrugged. "What can I say? Xander's a diva."I burst out laughin